Tuesday, May 5, 2009

MerchantCircle Guest Blogger Series

As technology, the web, and the tools to drive more customers to your business evolve, we’ve compiled a group of experts in various fields to help you navigate the changing field of play. Over the next 3 months (starting in May), be sure to check back at the beginning and middle of each month for a new guest contributor post. We’d like to introduce the first group of contributors:

• Andrew Shotland – Local SEO Guide - I currently provide clients with SEO and SEM consulting services. I specialize in local search engine optimization but I work on all types of sites. Clients include large media and e-commerce companies, Web 2.0ish start-ups and even my local cabinet guy (I got a great deal on custom cabinets).Previously I was head of product and business development for Insider Pages where I developed a SEO program that attracted over 3 million monthly unique visitors almost solely via SEO. In a past life I was GM of NBC.com.

• John Jantsch – Duct Tape Marketing - John Jantsch is a marketing and digital technology coach, award winning social media publisher and author of "Duct Tape Marketing - The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide".

He is the creator of the Duct Tape Marketing small business marketing system and Duct Tape Marketing Authorized Coach Network.

His Duct Tape Marketing Blog was chosen as a Forbes favorite for small business and marketing and is a Harvard Business School featured marketing site. His blog was also chosen as "Best Small Business Marketing Blog" in 2004, 2005 and 2006 by the readers of Marketing Sherpa.

Dane Carlson's Business Opportunities Weblog is the premier blog of ideas and opportunities for small business entrepreneurs and is one of the most widely read business blogs. In over ten thousand posts since 2001, author Dane Carlson has proven the notion that "ideas are cheap," and pushed hundreds of inventors, entrepreneurs and small scale capitalists towards their dream of owning and running their own business.

• Samuel Bornstein – Kean University School of Business - For the past 30 years, Professor Bornstein has been a tenured Professor of Accounting and Taxation, and for the past 32 years a CPA and Consultant in public practice for Bornstein & Song, CPAs & Consultants.

Since 2000, Professor Bornstein has researched the causes and solutions to Small Business Failure and Financial Literacy. His research evolved into a study of Small Business and the Subprime Mortgage Crisis. Prof. Bornstein’s research determined the most effective content for “Specific and Immediate Financial Guidance” as a solution to this crisis. His focus has been to research "Artificial Intelligence" as an effective delivery system for Financial Literacy Education for Small Business, Adults, and K-12.

• Gail Gardner – GrowMap - Gail has been involved in the computer industry since the late 1970s, originally servicing hardware, and as a Project Manager for data processing centers, banks, and retailers.

Since 2003, she has worked exclusively in online marketing, specializing in optimizing blogs and ecommerce sites, pay per click advertising, and Local Search listings.